Ring roll in leather-splitting machines



Aug. 20, 1957 J. A. MEYER RING ROLL IN LEATHER-SPLITTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 16, 1956 Josa,0l AW??? TORNEY Aug. 20, 1957 J. A. MEYER Y 2,803,126

RING ROLL IN LEATHER-SPLITTING MACHINES Filed May 16, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' 6 37 43 k v 25 4 2 2.4 4 7 45 44 45 9-)V INVENTOR.

BY M HTTOE/VEY United States Patent RING ROLL IN LEATHER-SPLITTING MACHINES Joseph A. Meyer, Newark, N. J.

Application May 16, 1956, Serial No. 585,188

13 Claims. (Cl. 69-10) This invention relates in general to a ring roll for leather-splitting machines of the types described in my United States Letters Patent Nos. 1,410,703, 1,434,109 and 1,586,100, dated March 28, 1922, October 31, 1922, and May .25, 1926, respectively.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Serial No. 531,961 filed September 1, 1955, now abandoned.

As is known in the art, ring rolls constructed of ring sections which are positively driven, as by a keyed connection with a shaft, have the objection of not easily accommodating different speeds of travel of the hide to be split at different points in the width of the machine, due to the. difiiculty of the operator holding back or retarding the faster moving portions, such as the flank or marginal. portions, with respect to the slower moving portions, such as the middle or back portions of the hide, which are harder to split. Such ring rolls have the further objection of a positive and unyielding drive of a ring section which may become jammed or stuck so that operation of the machine must be stopped or damage will ensue.

On the other hand, ring rolls having the ring sections frictionally driven from the shaft or from each other, while overcoming the above mentioned diificulties, have been found in practice to be objectionable in the retardation, by the frictional drive, of the return of the ring sections to normal positions after having been displaced, for example, by an inequality in the thickness of the hide.

An object of the present invention is to provide a leather splitting machine with ring roll in which the ring sections shall be frictionally driven from a resilient roll and shall be held on a carrying shaft by resilient members that cushion and may also drive the ring sections, and the engagement between each resilient cushioning member and said shaft shall be augmented by a shaftengaging bushing having flexible portions frictionally engaging the shaft and between which and the ring section said resilient member is compressed.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel and improved combination of a ring section and a cushioning; member of the general character described wherein the cushioning member shall yield under radial pressure imposed on the ring section but shall be yieldingly held against movement relatively to and longitudinally of the ring section during operation of the ring roll.

Another object of the invention is to use a split metal bushing to hold each resilient cushioning member which preferably is a rubber ring, between said bushing and said shaft sothat said bushing shall also resist sliding of the bushing and the ring section longitudinally of the shaft under influence of. the band knife on the hide during the splitting operation.

7 A further object of my invention is to provide a ring roll consisting of a series of rings resiliently mounted on a shaft, with the resilient means frictionally connected to said shaft by a split bushing, one end of said series of rings engaging an end collar fixed to said shaft, and the other end being engaged by a collar threaded thereon, so

that slack caused by wear may be periodically taken up..

A still further object of my invention is to provide a ring for leather-splitting machines on a carrying shaft comprising a hollow cylindrical metal member flanged at its ends, to prevent undesired displacement of the rubber cushioning ring therealong, slotted from end to end along one portion of its circumference, and slotted part way from one endtoward the other and part way from the other end toward the first end, said slots being uniformly spaced circumferentially.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken with the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and do not define the scope or limits of the invention, reference being had for the latter purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote like parts in the several views:

Figure l is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through a leather-splitting machine having a ring roll embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on the plane of the line 2-2 of Figure 1, in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is an enlarged axial sectional view of the ring roll, with the carrying shaft in elevation.

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the ring roll, with the carrying shaft in section on the line 4--4 of Figure 3, in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 3, in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 6 is an exploded view in perspective of one of the yielding or resilient means for a ring section, and a split bushing on which it is to be mounted;

Figure 7 is a. view similar to Figure 3 showing a modification of the invention;

Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view of the ring roll approximately on the plane of the line 8-8 of Figure 7 and showing a roll ring in end elevation; and

Figure 9' is a transverse vertical sectional view on the plane of the line 99 of Figure 7.

Referring to the drawings in detail, it is pointed out that a ring roll 11, constructed in accordance with the present invention, is specifically designed for use in connection with a conventional hide or leather-splitting machine, designated' 12.. The machine 12 comprises a frame 13 having a table or bed 14 to support hides 15 to be split as they are fed to the splitting device, which may be in the form of a band knife 16. Above the table 14 and extending longitudinally of the machine is a gage roll' 17, adjustable by known means 18. Below the gage roll and disposed parallel thereto is journalled my improved roll ring 11 having a shaft 19.

The hide or leather 15 to be split passes between the gage roll 17 and the ring roll 11 to the band knife 16,

being split in the usual manner into two pieces 21 and 22. The gage roll- 17 is adjustable relative to th'e'roll ring. 11 to accommodate hides of various thicknesses. The ring roll 11' is held yieldingly in engagement with the underside of the hide by the resilient, desirably rub-' ber roll 23 which has tight frictional contact with said ring sections 2'4 are also individually driven by the roll.

23 and frictionally driven from each other through the carrying shaft 19 on which=they are mounted. At the I same time, they are free to slide radially or transverselyl with respect to each other and move radially or transversely relative to theshaft 19 to accommodate variousirregularities on the surface of the speedsjof travel and hide,

in-the present. embodiment, each ring section 2W is" formed as a hollow metal, preferably brass, cylinder,

with the inner surface, howe er, stepped to. different diameters, as indicated at 25, 26 and 27. In other words, the axial opening is of decreasing diameter from the end portion 25, through the intermediate portion 26, to the end portion 27. Because of this construction, introduction of the resilient of yielding means 28, desirably in the form of an annular rubber collar, is facilitated, and a shoulder between the portions 26 and 27 is provided against which the left hand end of said rubber collar 28 abuts, as viewed in Figure 3, thereby preventing relative movement thereof to the left. The rubber members 28 are of such size that they tightly engage the inner surfaces of the portions 26 of the rings.

- To improve the frictional engagement between each resilient or rubber member 28 and the carrying shaft 19, I provide a bushing 29 for each. These bushings are formed of metal, desirably brass, larger in outside diameter than the apertures 31 in the rubber members 28 which receive them, so that they have to be forced into the position represented in Figure 3. In order to prevent the rubber members from slipping off the bushings 29 after placement thereof, each bushing is preferably formed with end flanges, 32 and 33, between which a rubber member 28 is nested when in the position shown in Figure 3.

In order to increase the clamping action flexibility of the bushings 29 in connecting their rubber members 28 tightly, although frictionally, to the shaft 19, each bushing 29 is formed with a series of slots therein, in this instance three. Slot 34, as viewed in Figure 6, extends from end to end; slot 35 extends through the flange 32 from the inner end toward the far end of the bushing, and slot 36 extends through the flange 33 from the far end of the bushing toward the inner end thereof. However, neither of the slots 35 and 36 are as long as the slot 34, desirably extending not more than of the length of the bushing so that. the three sections into which each bushing is partitioned are unitarily held to gether, as viewed in Figure 6.

However, this slotting of the bushings increases their flexibility to a great extent, while providing what amounts to transverse edges between which are received portions of the rubber member 28, which are squeezed thereinto. These edges also tend to bite into the shaft 19 when the bushings are under pressure and are equivalent to an inner roughening of the bushings. This means that by use of these bushings, the rubber cushioning members or yielding devices 28 are, for practical purposes, frictionally tied to the shaft 19, so that movement of the ring roll longitudinally of the shaft 19 is yieldingly restrained to prevent jamming of rings together but at the same time permit the ring rolls to be close enough to each other to prevent the hide from getting between the rings; and there is no interference with the, radial yielding of the rings 24 during operation to allow for variation in the thickness of the hide being split.

, In the present embodiment, one end of the shaft 19, in this instance the right hand end, as viewed in Figure 3, carries a collar or flange 37 fixed thereon as by means of a pin 38. The collar 37 may be backed up by a smaller collar 39 secured to the shaft as by means of a set screw 41. After positioning on the shaft, the rings 24 are held against the collar 37 by means of an adjustable collar or flange 42 threaded on the left end of the shaft, as viewed in Figure 3, and after adjustment areheld in position by means of a lock nut 43.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided a ring roll 11 comprising a series of units on a shaft, each unit of which consists of a ring 24, a rubber ring shoe or collar 28, and a split bushing 29. The rubber collar 28 has a snug fit on the inside of the ring 24 and on the outside of the bushing 29. The bushing 29 also has a snug fit on the shaft 19 and the rubber collar 28 exerts suflicient pressure on the bushing to hold the ring 24 against the drag of the band knife which slits the hide.

The clamping action of the split bushings 29 on the shaft 19 prevents the rings 24 from jamming together with undue force and unduly interfering with their independent adjusting movement, while allowing for desired vertical or transverse movement when uneven parts of the hide pass over the rings. The frictional clamping action of the split bushings 29 on the shaft 19 facilitates evenly feeding the hide 15 to the band knife by overcoming sudden shock loads as heavy sections of hide appear. When the parallel sides of the rings 24 press against each other due to the drag of the knife, the friction between the rings tends to reduce the independence of movement, but the improved clamping of the rubber collars 28 on the shaft prevents undue frictional action between the rings, by tending to keep each ring in its normal position where independent movement is allowed for. In other words, the bushings 29 normally yieldingly frictionally grip the shaft and the rubber collars 28 frictionally grip the rings so that the tendency of the rings to move endwise under the force exerted by the hide during the splitting operation is resisted by the rubber collars which, under these conditions, tend to pull the rings apart and thereby reduce the direct frictional contact between adjacent rings.

However, axial displacement of the rings is necessary to compensate for normal wear on the parallel surfaces of the rings, which wear, when excessive, is taken up by corresponding turning of the collar 42 and the lock nut 43. The shoulders 32 and 33 on the split bushings 29 on either side of the rubber collars 28 prevent the bushings from sliding out of place.

In a preferred embodiment, the shaft 19 is desirably /2" in diameter. The collars or flanges 37 and 42 at each end which hold the rings 24 assembled are desirably 1 /2 in diameter, one collar being securely fastened as by being pinned to the shaft 19 and then faced at right angles to the rod, providing a supporting surface which assures the parallel alignment of the rings. Each split bushing 29 is reamed to an inside diameter of /2", with an outside diameter of 7 Each may have a length of and from its ends shoulders or flanges extend, desirably in diameter. The slits in the bushings are desirably spaced from one another about /3 of the circumference, that is and furnish increased flexibility for the clamping action exerted by the rubber collars around the bushings and on the shaft 19, thereby preventing axial displacement of the rings, except upon normal wear on the sides thereof. At the same time, they allow for rotary motion and vertical displacement of individual rings when uneven parts of hides pass thereover.

The ring roll 11, with ring sections 24 assembled as above described, is positioned in the machine upon the rubber roll 23. The ends of the ring roll shaft 19, or the collar 39 and lock nut 43 thereon, engage the sides of the frame 13 as shown in Figure 2. In operation of the machine, the rubber roll 23, ring roll 11 and the gage roll 17 rotate in the directions indicated by the arrow to feed the hide 15 to the band knife 16. The ring roll 11 is driven by frictional contact with the roller 23. It will also be noted that in addition to the drive of the ring roll 11 from the rubber roll 23, each ring section 24 is driven through the engagement with the shaft 19 of its bushing 29, as well as by frictional contact between the sides of the ring sections 24, which are yieldingly held against the underside of the hide by the rubber roll 23.

Should a projection or irregularity in the hide strike one of the ring sections 24, said ring section, illustrated in Figure 3 as the middle section, although the length of the ring roll may vary as desired, will yield radially upon the shaft 19 and press into the rubber roll 23 which tends to cause the ring section 24 to assume its normal position. Under such displacement of the ring section 24, the corresponding rubber member 28 is compressed at one side and allowed to expand at the other side, whereby the ring member 24 will quickly return to its normal annular condition after the irregularity is passed. Thus, there is no possibility of the ring sections 24 remaining displaced so that the knife 16 could damage the hide.

A modification of the invention is shown in Figures 7-9 inclusive wherein the ring section or roll ring 24a is in general similar to the roll ring 24 but the hollow brass cylinder has an interior circumferential groove 44 in which the corresponding cushioning ring 28a is snugly fitted. As shown, the groove 44 is shown as having a bottom surface 45 coaxial with the roll ring, and two end surfaces or shoulders 46 and 47 spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the cushioning ring 28a. The planes of the end surfaces 46 and 47 are approximately perpendicular to the axis of the roll ring and of a height or depth sufficient to prevent movement of the cushioning ring longitudinally of the roll ring under normal operating pressures exerted on the roll ring by the hide being split under the influence of the band knife 16; and as shown, said end surfaces or shoulders 46 and 47 have a height of the order of M It will be observed that the surfaces or shoulders 46 and 47 are provided by inwardly projecting flanges 48 on the roll ring, and the inner surface of one of these flanges is preferably flared outwardly from the groove 44 to the end of the ring as indicated at 49 to facilitate insertion of the cushioning ring 28a into the groove 44.

The operation of a ring roll embodying this type of roll ring is substantially the same as the operation of the ring roll hereinbefore described except that with the form of the roll ring shown in Figures 7-9 inclusive the cushioning ring is positively held against endwise movement relatively to the roll ring 24a. This is important where the ring roll is used for splitting wet, lime tanned hides.

With this construction there is adequate room at the ends of the cushioning ring at all times for endwise expansion of the cushioning ring when it is radially compressed, and the groove 44 holds the cushioning ring in the central or median transverse plane of the metal ring section, thereby reducing any tendency of the metal roll ring to tilt on the shaft 19. This in turn reduces the possibility of the formation of ring marks on the hides being split. Moreover, the rubber cushioning ring 28a can be easily inserted into and removed from the metal ring section.

A further advantage of the invention is that the reduction of the thickness of the metal shell or rim of the roll ring makes the ring roll of minimum weight consistent with adequate strength and thus reduces the tendency of the ring roll to sag intermediate its ends. This in turn prevents the central longitudinal portion of the height from being displaced away from the knife and thus ensures that the height shall be of substantially uniform thickness throughout its width. This is in contrast with many known types of ring rolls which cause the central longitudinal portion of the hide to be thicker than the flank portions of the hide.

Having now described my invention in detail in accordance with the patent statutes, those skilled in the art will have no difliculty in making changes and modifications in the individual parts of their relative assembly in order to meet specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made within the scope and spirit of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a leather-splitting machine, in combination with a frame, a knife, a gage roll mounted at one side of said knife, a rubber roll mounted at the other side of said knife, and means for rotating said rubber roll; a ring roll comprising a shaft, ring sections encircling the shaft and capable of displacement transversely thereof, each ring;

section having frictional contact with and being driven by said rubber roll, a bushing encircling said shaft within each ring section, and resilient means frictionally engaging the exterior surface of said bushing and the interior surface of said ring section and compressed therebetween, said bushing having yieldable portions pressed by said resilient means into frictional contact with said shaft thereby providing frictional driving connection between said shaft, said bushings, said resilient means and said ring sections, and also providing for resilient restrained movement of said ring sections longitudinally and transversely of said shaft.

2. A ring roll as defined in claim 1 wherein said bushing is longitudinally slit from each end.

3. A ring roll as defined in claim 1 wherein said inner surface of said ring section and said outer surface of said bushing are cylindrical, and said resilient means comprises an elastic ring having cylindrical interior and exterior peripheries.

4. A ring roll as defined in claim 1 wherein the interior periphery of said ring section has a circumferential groove in which said resilient means is seated.

5. In a leather-splitting machine, in combination with a frame, a knife, a gage roll mounted at one side of said knife, a rubber roll mounted at the other side of said knife, and means for rotating said rubber roll; a ring roll comprising a shaft, ring sections encircling said shaft and capable of displacement transversely thereof, each ring section having frictional contact with and being driven by said rubber roll, a bushing encircling said shaft within each ring section and having resilient portions yieldingly frictionally engaging the shaft, and resilent means frictionally engaging the exterior surface of said bushing and the interior surface of said ring section and compressed therebetween.

6. A ring roll as defined in claim 5 wherein said bushing is slit from each end.

7. A ring roll as defined in claim 5 wherein said resilient means is an elastic ring.

8. A ring roll as defined in claim 5 wherein said bushing has flanges at its ends between which said resilient means is seated.

9. A ring roll as defined in claim 5 wherein the interior periphery of said ring section has a circumferential groove and said resilient means comprises an elastic ring whose outer periphery is seated in said groove.

10. A ring roll as defined in claim 5 wherein said bushing it slit from each end to points intermediate its length whose interior diameter is less than the exterior diameter of said bushing and whose exterior diameter is greater than the interior diameter of said ring section.

11. A ring roll as defined in claim 5 wherein said inner surface of the ring section and said outersurface of said bushing are cylindrical and said resilient means is an elastic ring having cylindrical outer and inner peripheries and whose interior diameter is less than the exterior diameter of said bushing and whose exterior diameter is greater than the interior diameter of said ring section.

12. A ring as defined in claim 11 wherein said interior surface of said ring section has a circumferential groove in which said elastic ring is seated.

13. A ring roll as defined in claim 11 wherein said interior surface of said ring section has a circumferential groove in which said elastic ring is seated and wherein said bushing has exterior circumferential end flanges between which said elastic ring is seated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,235,605 Bugatti Mar. 18, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 498,576 Belgium Feb. 1,-1951 657,592 Great Britain Sept. 19, 193i 

